Brown v. Guyer

115 N.E. 947, 64 Ind. App. 356, 1917 Ind. App. LEXIS 64
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 24, 1917
DocketNo. 9,177
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 115 N.E. 947 (Brown v. Guyer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. Guyer, 115 N.E. 947, 64 Ind. App. 356, 1917 Ind. App. LEXIS 64 (Ind. Ct. App. 1917).

Opinion

Hottel, J.

Appellee filed in the Marshall Circuit .Court a complaint in one paragraph in which he alleges [358]*358that appellant “is indebted to him the said plaintiff in the sum of two hundred forty-two 96/100 dollars, in this to.wit: That on the 6th day of October, 1912, the * * * defendant purchased of the * * * plaintiff certain goods, wares and merchandise at and for the price above mentioned and * * * ' plaintiff delivered to the defendant the goods so purchased and rendered certain^ services for * * * defendant at his request, an itemized bill of particulars being hereto attached * * * marked exhibit ‘A’ ”; and that said amount is due, etc.

Exhibit A, made a part of said complaint, is as follows:

“Bremen, Indiana, April 26th, 1913.
“Moses Brown to David Guyer, Dr.
Oct. 26, 1912. To 728 bushels of onions at 32c................$232.96
April 23,1913. To screening and delivering at Bremen onions bot. of Shiveley.............. 10.00
Total Due........$242.96”

Appellant filed a written motion to separate the complaint into paragraphs for reasons stated therein as follows: “The defendant has a distinct and separate defense to each of the items comprising the account set out in the exhibit, * * * the transactions * * * have no connection, and the defendant is deprived * * * of raising the questions constituting his defense to them separately ***.”'

The appellant filed an answer in general denial and a counterclaim. No evidence was offered upon the counterclaim, and hence the issues tendered by it need not be indicated.

[359]*3591. [358]*358A trial by jury resulted in a verdict for appellee for the amount of his claim. A motion for new trial was [359]*359overruled. From the judgment rendered on the verdict appellant appeals and relies for reversal on the ac-' tion of the trial court in overruling each of the motions ; indicated, they being assigned as error in this court. Appellant concedes, in effect, and properly so, that, generally speaking, no available error results from overruling a motion to separate a complaint into paragraphs. Richwine v. Presbyterian Church (1893), 135 Ind. 80, 34 N. E. 737; Shaw v. Ayers (1897), 17 Ind. App. 614, 618, 47 N. E. 235; Wabash, etc., R. Co. v. Rooker (1883), 90 Ind. 581; Mansfield v. Shipp (1891), 128 Ind. 55, 27 N. E. 427; Smiley v. Deweese (1890), 1 Ind. App. 211, 27 N. E. 505; Pierce v. Walton (1897), 20 Ind. App. 66, 80, 50 N. E. 309; Adams v. Antles (1914), 57 Ind. App. 594, 105 N. E. 931; Huntington Light Co. v. Spell (1916), 185 Ind. 30, 111 N. E. 311; Sheetz v. Longlois (1880), 69 Ind. 491.

2. It is insisted, however, that it appears upon the face of the complaint here involved that the sale of the goods and merchandise for which appellee sought recovery was for an amount in excess of $50; that such contract of sale was not in writing and that there was no averment that the goods or any part of them had been accepted by appellant, and no averment of any -payment thereon, and hence, that a separate paragraph of complaint based on this item would have been subject to demurrer because it involved a verbal contract for a sale of goods for the price of $50 and more, and was within the statute of frauds, §7469 Burns 1914, §4910 R. S. 1881; that the other item of the exhibit and the averments of the complaint relating thereto made such complaint good as against demurrer, and hence that the ruling on said motion prevented appellant from being able to obtain the advantage of a ruling on a demurrer to such separate cause of action [360]*360attempted to be stated in the complaint, and that, for this reason, such ruling was prejudicial and harmful. Appellant has cited no case that would take the instant case out of the general rule above indicated.

By such ruling appellant was in no event deprived of any substantial right. He could have filed an affirmative partial answer as to that part of the complaint predicated on the merchandise alleged to have been sold and delivered to him, in which answer he could have set up the facts upon which he relied to bring that part of the indebtedness sued on within the statute of frauds. He could also, and in fact did in this case, tender an instruction which gave him the full benefit of such statute.

3. 4. Appellant’s motion for new trial contains several grounds, but most of them have been waived by a failure to present or refer to them in his “Points and Authorities.” Among those presented is the fourth ground of said motion, which is in the following words: “The damages assessed by the jury are excessive.” This is a proper ground of a motion for new trial in actions based on tort — Conner v. Andrews Land, etc., Co. (1903), 162 Ind. 338, 70 N. E. 376; McKinney v. State, ex rel. (1889), 117 Ind. 26, 19 N. E. 613; City of Indianapolis v. Woessner (1913), 54 Ind. App. 552, 103 N. E. 368— but in actions based on contract, “error, in the assessment of the amount of the recovery” must be presented by substantially following the language of the fifth clause of §585 Burns 1914, §559 R. S. 1881. City of Indianapolis v. Woessner, supra; State Exchange Bank v. Paul (1914), 58 Ind. App. 487, 108 N. E. 532.

5. [361]*3616. [360]*360Certain instructions given by the trial court are challenged by said motion for new trial and attempted to be presented in appellant’s points and authorities. Questions relating to the action of the trial court in giving or refusing to give instructions, to be [361]*361available on appeal, must be saved and presented in one of the ways provided by the statute. Stimson v. Krueger (1916), 63 Ind. App. 567, 114 N. E. 885, and cases cited. The procedure followed in this case was unusual and irregular. It seems, however, from the record, that an effort was made to follow §561 Burns 1914, Acts 1907 p. 652. The record discloses that at the close of the appellee’s evidence the appellant tendered an instruction, the effect of which was to tell the jury that, for reasons therein indicated, it should disregard thé allegations of the complaint relating to the charge therein made against appellant for goods, wares and merchandise. This instruction was refused, to which ruling of the court the appellant excepted, and then declined to offer any evidence.

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Bluebook (online)
115 N.E. 947, 64 Ind. App. 356, 1917 Ind. App. LEXIS 64, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-guyer-indctapp-1917.